Career

The Junipers are a psychedelic pop

Psychedelic pop

Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...

 band who were formed in Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

 in 2000 by, Joe Wiltshire, Marc Johnston, Pete Gough, Liam Riley & Stuart Pratt. Wiltshire and Johnston had begun recording

Home recording

Home recording is the practice of recording in a private home, rather than in a professional recording studio. A studio set up for home recording is called a "project studio" or "home studio". Home recording is practiced by indie bands, singer-songwriters, hobbyists, podcasters, documentarians,...

 demos at home while Wiltshire played in another band, Ambrose Tompkins on the Regular Beat

Regular Beat Recording Co.

Regular Beat Recording Co. is an independent record label based in Liverpool, England. Artists have included New Mexican electronica act Alaska In Winter, a collaborative project featuring Zach Condon from the band Beirut.----External Links----...

 record label based in Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

. The duo then recruited the other three members to showcase the songs live. In 2007 The Junipers signed to San Remo Records, a record label based in Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...

 ran by Felt

Felt (band)

Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band led by Lawrence, whose surname was never listed in any credits or press; the band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus"...

 guitarist Marco Thomas

Felt (band)

Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band led by Lawrence, whose surname was never listed in any credits or press; the band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus"...

, who had signed Ivor Novello

Ivor Novello Awards

The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...

 award winner Scott Matthews

Scott Matthews

Scott Matthews , is a singer/songwriter from Wolverhampton, England.His first album Passing Stranger was released on 13 March 2006 on San Remo Records before being re-released on Island Records later in the year. Janice Long was the first of the BBC DJs to play his music...

 two years prior.

The Junipers recorded & released their debut album Cut Your Key in 2008. The album was self-produced & mainly recorded at The Junipers own studio in Leicester & partly at Magic Garden studios in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

 with Gavin monhagon, known for his work with Kings Of Leon

Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...

, The Editors & Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams

David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...

. Three singles were pulled from the album, Callooh Callay!, Gordie Can’t Swim & So the Feeling Looms/Out My Pocket.

Cut Your Key received rave reviews from the likes of Uncut Magazine

UNCUT (magazine)

Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...

, The Word & Record Collector

Record Collector

Record Collector is the United Kingdom's longest-running monthly music magazine. It distributes both within the UK and worldwide. It started in 1979.-The early years:...

. Callooh Callay! Was named single of the week on BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

 & all three singles gained airplay on Radio 2

BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

 and BBC 6 Music

BBC 6 Music

BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....

 from dj's

Disc jockey

A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...

, Bob Harris

Bob Harris (radio)

Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...

, Steve Lamacq

Steve Lamacq

Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...

, Mark Radcliffe

Mark Radcliffe

Mark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...

 and Janice Long

Janice Long

Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...

, among others. The band played two live sessions for Marc Riley

Marc Riley

Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...

 on BBC 6 Music

BBC 6 Music

BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....

, supported kasabian twice at The Civic Hall & played The Big Chill (music festival)

The Big Chill (music festival)

The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...

, The Summer Sundae

Summer Sundae

Summer Sundae is an annual music festival held in Leicester, England which focuses on indie, alternative, and local music...

 Festival, Moseley Folk Festival, The Llama Festival & The IPO Festival

International Pop Overthrow

The International Pop Overthrow is an American-originated music festival devoted to power pop music and related genres.Taking its name from Material Issue's 1991 album of the same name, the festival began in 1998, and has been held annually in the LA area since then...

.

The band have gained some well known followers to champion them along the way, including, Marc Riley

Marc Riley

Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...

, Abbey Road

Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

 producer Mark Wirtz

Mark Wirtz

Mark P. Wirtz is an Alsatian born pop music record producer, composer, singer, musician, author, and stand-up comedian. As a producer, Wirtz's most famous output is from the mid to late 1960s, when he worked at Abbey Road Studios with Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, under contract to EMI...

, Cerys Matthews

Cerys Matthews

Cerys Elizabeth Matthews is a Welsh singer and songwriter. She is known as the lead singer of the Welsh rock band Catatonia, her more recent bilingual solo career, and for a 1998 Christmas duet with Tom Jones.-Biography:...

 & Alfie

Alfie (band)

Alfie were an English indie rock band from Manchester. They were originally signed to Twisted Nerve Records before moving to EMI sub-label Regal Zonophone Records.-Twisted Nerve years :...

 frontman Lee gorton.

In 2009 lead singer Marc Johnston left The Junipers & was replaced by Robyn Gibson, a friend of the band who had also been a member of Ambrose Tompkins with Wiltshire, The Ammonites & Ruth's Refrigerator

Ruth's Refrigerator

Ruth's Refrigerator were a psychedelic rock/indie pop band from Leicester, England, formed in 1990 as a collaboration between guitarist/songwriter Alan Jenkins , singer/guitarist Ruth Miller and bassist Terri Lowe , keyboardist Blodwyn P. Teabag, and drummer Robyn Gibson...

. In 2011 Liam Riley left the group and was replaced by Ash Seldon who took on the bass and backing vocals. The new line up began recording their follow up to Cut Your Key later that year.

Appearances

♦ The band have played the following festivals

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

: The Big Chill (music festival)

The Big Chill (music festival)

The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...

, Summer Sundae

Summer Sundae

Summer Sundae is an annual music festival held in Leicester, England which focuses on indie, alternative, and local music...

, Moseley Folk Festival, The Llama Festival.

♦ The Junipers have played two radio sessions for Marc Riley

Marc Riley

Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...

 on BBC 6 Music

BBC 6 Music

BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....

 & a session for BBC Radio Leicester

BBC Radio Leicester

BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The station broadcasts from studios in Leicester on 104.9 FM, on DAB, and via the BBC iPlayer.-History:...

.

♦ They made two tv appearances on the Community Channel & Channel M

Channel m

Channel M is a regional television station, based in Manchester, England. It began broadcasting on 14 February 2000 as Manchester Student Television and is owned and operated by the Guardian Media Group.-Coverage:...

.

♦ The song Already Home was used on the American tv show Cane

Cane (TV series)

Cane is an American television drama created by Cynthia Cidre, who also served as executive producer alongside Jonathan Prince, Jimmy Iovine and Polly Anthony. The pilot was directed by Christian Duguay...

.

♦ The Song Gordie Can't Swim appeared on the Shindig! Magazine covermount

Covermount

Covermount is the name given to storage media or other products packaged as part of a magazine or newspaper...

 cd in 2009 & was remastered by Norman Blake

Norman Blake (Scottish musician)

Norman Blake is a singer-songwriter in the Glasgow based band, Teenage Fanclub.Blake and Sean Dickson were in The Faith Healers together, which also contained various members at different times Stevie Gray, Hugh McLaughlin, Brian Carson and Colin Murray to name but a few.Blake and Carson were...

 of Teenage Fanclub

Teenage Fanclub

Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...

.

♦ The song Out My Pocket appeared on The Word covermount

Covermount

Covermount is the name given to storage media or other products packaged as part of a magazine or newspaper...

 cd in 2008.

♦ Callooh Callay! received single of the week on BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

 in 2008.

♦ The band supported Kasabian twice at the Civic Hall in 2008.

Discography

28/10/08 - Cut Your Key (Album) - San Remo Records

04/08/08 - Callooh Callay! (Single) - San Remo Records

30/08/08 - Moseley Folk Anthology (Compilation) - Moseley Folk
08/12/08 - Gordie Can't Swim (Single) - San Remo Records

01/12/08 - Now Hear This! (Compilation) - The Word
17/08/09 - So the Feeling Looms/Out My Pocket (Single) - San Remo Records

27/08/09 - It's Happening! (Compilation) - Shindig!

External links

• The Junipers Official Website
• [ The Junipers on Allmusic.com]